U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of Policy Development and Research

Authority To Accept Unsolicited Proposals for Research Partnerships Notice

FR-6300-N-USP Application Due Date: 12/31/2020

Authority To Accept Unsolicited Proposals for Research Partnerships Notice

FR-6300-N-USP TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description II. Award Information

III. Eligibility IV. Application and Submission Information V. Application Review Information

VI. Award Administration Information VII. Agency Contacts

VIII. Other Information

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U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Program Office: Office of Policy Development and

Research Funding Opportunity Title: Authority To Accept Unsolicited

Proposals for Research Partnerships Notice

Announcement Type: Modification Funding Opportunity Number: FR-6300-N-USP Primary CFDA Number: 14.506 Due Date for Applications: N/A Overview

This notice announces that HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) has the authority to accept unsolicited research proposals that address current research priorities. In accordance with statutory requirements, the research proposals must be submitted by eligible applicants and provide cost sharing for at least 50 percent of total project cost from philanthropic entities or Federal, state or local government agencies. This notice announces that HUD is accepting research proposals and provides a general description of information that should be included in any research proposal. The Department is interested in increasing participation of Minority Serving Institutions of higher education and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in all program areas. Therefore, HUD encourages eligible entities that are not themselves MSIs or HBCUs to develop partnerships with MSIs and HBCUs. DATES: Proposals may be submitted at any time and will be evaluated as they are received. Available funds will be awarded as proposals are received, evaluated, and approved, until funds are exhausted.

Unsolicited proposal - A valid unsolicited proposal must: (1) Be innovative and unique; (2) Be independently originated and developed by the offeror; (3) Be prepared without Federal Government supervision, endorsement, direction, or direct Federal Government involvement; (4) Include sufficient detail to permit a determination that Federal Government support could be worthwhile and the proposed work could benefit the agency's research and development or other mission responsibilities; (5) Not be an advance proposal for a known agency requirement that can be acquired by competitive methods; (6) Not be a result of a previous competitive announcement; and (7) Not be a concept paper.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

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A. Program Description. HUD developed the Research Partnerships vehicle to allow greater flexibility in addressing important policy questions and to better utilize external expertise in evaluating the local innovations and effectiveness of programs affecting residents of urban, suburban, rural and tribal areas. Through this notice, HUD can accept unsolicited research proposals that address current research priorities and allow innovative research projects that could inform HUD’s policies and programs. Research Priorities The documents that establish a framework for HUD’s research priorities are the HUD Strategic Plan 2018–2022, which specifies the Department’s mission and strategic goals for program activities (https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/SPM/documents/HUDSTRATEGICPLAN2018-2022.pdf); and the HUD Research Roadmap: 2017 Update (https://www.huduser.gov/portal/pdf/ResearchRoadmap-2017Update.pdf ), which is the most recent integration of diverse stakeholder viewpoints into a five-year research and learning agenda. PD&R developed and published this research agenda to focus research resources on timely, policy-relevant research questions that lie within the Department’s area of comparative advantage. This focus on comparative advantage means that PD&R also needs to collaborate with other research organizations in areas that are mutually important. The Roadmap Update identifies a number of focus areas for research projects that PD&R is considering for the near future, and the goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan reflect the latest strategic direction of the Department and also describe the current evidence base undergirding those goals. The HUD Strategic Plan 2018–2022 establishes the overarching goal of Rethinking American Communities. Our communities need to be the foundation for America’s success. HUD is interested in research that will help the Department serve as a catalyst in the revitalization of our communities. Under each objective are examples of potentially useful research:

1. Promote economic opportunity – studies on effective and efficient ways to deliver services: improve HUD’s Section 3 and other programs that incentivize mobility and enable achievement of economic self-sufficiency for HUD-subsidized tenants; improve and innovate self-sufficiency programs; and the impact of place-based initiatives and anchor institutions.

2. Enhance rental assistance – studies on how to best simplify and streamline rental assistance for PHAs, residents and owners; studies on incentives and barriers to work and program exit.

3. Reduce the average length of homelessness – studies on effective strategies for challenged populations, areas with high unsheltered populations, and rural areas.

4. Support sustainable homeownership and financial viability – studies on initiatives that promote sustainable homeownership, strengthen housing programs, and reform and modernize housing finance systems.

5. Remove lead hazards from homes – research into existing and emerging lead health hazards and strategies to mitigate or eliminate them. The research must not focus on the prevalence, evaluation, or control of lead exposures from lead in paint, dust, or soil (because that research is covered by a separate statutory authority than the one that authorizes this Notice).

a. Examples of lead research under this objective include the prevalence, evaluation, or

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housing-based control of lead exposures from residential water, industrial emissions and wastes (e.g., at Superfund and state-equivalently-designated sites), or lead in housing products used in rehabilitation; factors inhibiting, and effective low-cost methods of increasing, blood lead screening and testing rates among young children in public housing in high-risk states or communities; factors inhibiting, and effective low-cost methods of increasing, availability of certified lead professionals and firms in high-risk states or communities; and, modeling of the geographic, socioeconomic and other distributions of factors correlated with high expected risk of increased blood lead levels in children.

6. Provide effective disaster recovery – Although not articulated as a strategic objective under Rethinking American Communities, HUD’s growing role in disaster recovery creates an additional need for research into ideas to more quickly deliver disaster recovery funds to communities and property owners, and to enhance the resilience of communities and homes to mitigate the risk and effects of disasters, pestilence, and energy shocks.

7. Opportunity Zones – Studies on how opportunity zones are being used to revitalize low-income communities, including research on local efforts to streamline, coordinate, and target existing Federal programs to Opportunity Zones as well as research on how the existing businesses and residents of affected communities are impacted by the investments.

8. Reduce Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing – Studies that explore how local, state, and federal policies impact the cost and availability of housing for low-income renters and first time homebuyers as well as evaluations of how recent changes to such policies are impacting the cost and availability of housing.”

Research partnerships have produced innovative research that makes significant contributions to HUD’s learning agenda. For example, “Childhood Housing and Adult Earnings” used advanced methods to understand how housing assistance programs improve long-term economic outcomes for disadvantaged children. “What Happens to Housing Assistance Leavers?” used data from the Moving to Opportunity demonstration to address the major evidence gap about reasons tenants exit assisted housing and what happens to them. “HOPE VI: Data Compilation and Analysis” significantly enhanced data availability for this important community revitalization program. “Advancing the Use of Cold-Formed Steel in the Housing Industry” measured the earthquake resistance of full-scale steel-frame buildings using shake tables. “Brokering the Geography of Opportunity” is examining how landlords affect access of assisted renters to high-quality housing and neighborhoods. These projects and many others are documented at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/oup/research_partnerships.html#impact-overview. The authority that Congress provided HUD to enter into noncompetitive cooperative agreements for research is a central tool for fulfilling the Roadmap’s vision for research collaboration supporting a learning agenda. Potential research partners are encouraged to develop research proposals that fill evidence gaps, inform important and emerging policy and program objectives of HUD that are not otherwise being addressed, support HUD’s strategic objectives and program effectiveness, and leverage HUD’s data and research assets. In

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preparing such proposals, researchers also are encouraged to consider and support PD&R’s core principles and practices for research—rigor, relevance, transparency, independence, ethics, and technical innovation—as described in the “HUD Program Evaluation Policy Statement,” Appendix B of the Roadmap Update. HUD Research Assets HUD has made, and continues to make, significant investments in “Research Assets,” as described below, including program demonstrations and the production of datasets and data linkages. PD&R is interested in seeing these assets leveraged in ways that may, or may not, be specifically referenced in the Roadmap Update or HUD’s Strategic Plan. Such studies demonstrate a broader usefulness of HUD’s Research Assets that further increases the return on these investments for the taxpayer. In considering potential research partnerships, PD&R urges organizations to consider ways to take advantage of key research assets, HUD’s data infrastructure, that the Roadmap Update identifies as part of HUD’s comparative advantage.

A. HUD demonstrations. HUD values demonstrations as a method for evaluating new policy and program initiatives and significantly advancing evidence-based policy, especially when rigorous random-assignment methods are feasible. HUD also is interested in research opportunities that take advantage of completed and ongoing demonstrations. For example, researchers continue to answer relevant policy questions using data generated by the Moving to Opportunity demonstration. Examples of demonstrations that are underway include Family Options, the Rental Assistance Demonstration, First-Time Homebuyer Education and Counseling Demonstration, and Rent Reform. Electronic versions of published HUD research can be found at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/research/home.html

B. HUD data infrastructure. HUD makes significant investments to improve and support the nation’s housing data, so submitting institutions are encouraged to consider opportunities to use HUD-sponsored survey data and administrative data. The American Housing Survey (AHS) is one of HUD’s largest research investments. The AHS provides a wealth of data on the size and composition of the nation’s housing inventory that researchers could use more effectively to address questions about housing market dynamics.

C. HUD administrative data linkages. 1. PD&R has partnered with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) to

longitudinally link HUD’s administrative records for rental assistance participants with the National Health Interview Survey, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and associated NCHS linked files for Medicare, Medicaid, and mortality data. These data resources are available through the NCHS research data centers (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data-linkage/hud.htm).

2. HUD and the Census Bureau have entered an interagency agreement for the Center for Administrative Records Research and Applications (CARRA) to link data from demonstrations and administrative systems with survey data and other administrative records. PD&R encourages research partnerships that effectively use data assets through public use data or restricted access arrangements with CARRA or NCHS research data centers. Further information is available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/pdrdatas_landing.html.

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D. Data Only Requests. Researchers may obtain access to restricted-use HUD data, without funding, for research that aligns with HUD priorities, if they first obtain a HUD data license agreement. A copy of the data license application is available from the HUD USER research portal: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/pdf/data_license.pdf. Applications may be submitted to HUD by e-mail to DataLicense@hud.gov.

E. Data License Applications. Applications will be forwarded to the appropriate PD&R office for review and approval. A HUD data license is not required to use the HUD-NCHS linked datasets, but a HUD research partnership can support waivers of NCHS fees for the research data center if a research proposal is accepted by NCHS.

B. Authority. Research Partnerships are authorized under title V of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 (12 U.S.C. 1701z-1 et seq.) and funding is provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115-141, approved March 23, 2018) and previous appropriations.

II. Award Information

A. Available Funds. HUD is making approximately $1 million available for Research Partnerships. Additional funds may become available for award as a result of HUD’s efforts to recapture unused funds or use carryover funds. Use of these funds will be subject to statutory constraints.

B. Number of Awards. The number of awards will be based on the number of proposals HUD reviews, approves, and funds.

C. Minimum/Maximum Award Information

Estimated Total Funding: 0 Minimum Award Amount: 0 Maximum Award Amount: 0 The estimated total funding per year is approximately $1 million with any carryover funding that may be available from previous years under this program; therefore, there are no minimum or maximum award amounts. A notification will be sent to applicants that request funding that exceeds the remaining available funds.

D. Period of Performance. The period of performance will be determined by the applicant’s proposal and subject to negotiation by HUD.

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E. Type of Funding Instrument. Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement.

III. Eligibility

A. Eligible Applicants. Eligible applicants under this Notice include academic institutions, philanthropic entities, States, federally recognized tribes, and units of local government, and not-for-profit and for-profit institutions located in the United States. Financial proposals may not include a line for profit because successful applicants may not earn profit under their financial arrangements with HUD. Individuals are not eligible.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching. This Program requires cost sharing, matching, or leveraging as described below. Cost sharing is required for research projects to be eligible for funding through HUD’s non-competitive cooperative agreement authority. Research projects submitted by all eligible applicants must include at least 50 percent of total project cost from philanthropic organizations, Federal, state, local government agencies, or a combination of these entities. For the purposes of the cost-sharing requirement, HUD defines a philanthropic entity as one among the subset of 501(c)(3) organizations that directly fund research activities. These include private foundations, educational institutions that may have a separate foundation, public charities, and operating foundations. Certification: If an institution offers the salaries of one or more researchers as part or all of the required match, the match will be valid only to the extent that the institution can quantify the extent to which it will release the researcher(s) from other duties without compensation from the grant. The Authorized Individual must provide certification in the proposal package. Example 1: Professor A has a normal teaching load of 4 preparations per semester and a service load of 2 committees. She proposes to reduce the load to 2 preparations and 1 committee for the duration of the grant. The university proposes that her total salary would be unchanged, but a cost equal to the cost of one preparation and one committee would be charged against the grant. The valid match from her university would then be the cost of one preparation per semester. Example 2: Researcher C has ongoing responsibilities in connection with 3 projects (unrelated to the proposed project) that pay for 75 percent of his time; the remainder of his time is spent on a fourth unrelated project that the organization has been supporting from its own overhead. The organization proposes that his total salary would be unchanged, but he will stop spending his time on the fourth project and instead charge 10 percent of his time to the Research Partnership grant. The valid match from the organization’s institutional overhead would then be 15 percent of his salary.

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Evidence of cost sharing. You must provide documentation of all match indicated in your budget by letters of firm commitment, such as a letter on the organization’s letterhead, Memoranda of Understanding or other signed agreements from those entities identified as partners in the application. All commitment documents MUST clearly identify the dollar amount, the source(s) of the funds, and the proposed uses that comply with the requirements of this notice and be signed by the authorized official. All matching funds must be used within the period of performance. The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, set forth in 2 CFR part 200, shall apply to this Federal award. Cost sharing or matching means the portion of project costs not paid by Federal funds (unless otherwise authorized by Federal statute). Applicants should refer to 2 CFR 200.306 for specific requirements.

C. Threshold Eligibility Requirements. All organizations that want to do business with HUD must have or obtain a DUNS number. DUNS website: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. In addition, you must register with the System for Award Management (SAM), an official website of the U.S. government. (See subsection IV.C, below.)

D. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements Affecting Eligibility and Performance. The following requirements affect applicant eligibility and successful applicant performance. Detailed information on several of these requirements is posted in the Eligibility Requirements for Applicants of HUD's Grants Programs and the General Administrative Requirements and Terms for HUD Financial Assistance Awards on HUD’s Funding Opportunities page. Resolution of Outstanding Civil Rights Matters Outstanding Delinquent Federal Debts Debarments and/or Suspensions Pre-selection Review of Performance Sufficiency of Financial Management System False Statements Mandatory Disclosure Requirement Prohibition Against Lobbying Activities Equal Participation of Faith-Based Organizations in HUD Programs and Activities Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act. Generally, construction is not an eligible purpose for HUD funds awarded in response to unsolicited proposals. To the extent that such a use is permitted, expenditure of such funds is subject to HUD’s regulations at 24 CFR part 135.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Instructions for Applicants.

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All proposals must be submitted electronically to ResearchPartnerships@hud.gov or mailed to Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of University Partnerships, 451 Seventh Street SW, Room 8226, Washington, DC 20410, ATTENTION: Research Partnerships. Faxed proposals will not be accepted.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission. Content and Form of Proposal Submission. Proposals must contain sufficient information for PD&R to identify whether the research would meet statutory requirements for cost sharing and alignment with the research priorities identified in Section II of this Notice. At a minimum, proposals must include:

a. Proposal Abstract. Applicants must include a Proposal Abstract or cover page with the project title, the names and affiliations of all investigators, a summary of the objectives, study design and expected results, and the total amount of funds requested.

b. Points of Contact. Applicants clearly identify the name of the entity(s) submitting the proposal and provide detailed contact information for the point of contact;

c. Key Personnel. Applicants must provide information on key personnel/principal staff that will be engaged with the project. HUD will assess the qualifications of key personnel to carry out the proposed study as evidenced by academic and professional background, publications, and recent (within the past 5 years) research experience. Each resume shall not exceed three pages and is limited to information that is relevant in assessing the qualifications and experience of key personnel to conduct and/or manage the proposed study. The proposed Principal Investigator must directly represent and be compensated directly by the applicant for his or her role in the proposed study. Publications and/or research experience are considered relevant if they required the acquisition and use of knowledge and skills that can be applied in the planning and execution of the technical study that is proposed.

d. Research Proposal Description. Applicants must provide a clear description of the research project, including the methodology being used, and its alignment with PD&R research priorities and HUD’s Strategic Plan. The proposal description should include the following specific components:

i. A clear and thorough description of the proposed study, its data sources and design, and its major objectives;

ii. A presentation of the research as a logical sequence of steps or phases, with individual tasks described for each phase;

iii. A summary of relevant literature, including thorough citations. Your proposed study will be judged in part on the soundness of the underlying body of research upon which it is based and the clarity and soundness of your summary and interpretation of this research base;

iv. A description of the methodological and statistical basis for your study design, and a demonstration that you would have adequate statistical power to test your stated hypotheses and achieve your study objectives;

v. A discussion of plans for data management, analysis, and archiving; vi. Identification of any important “decision points” in your study plan;

vii. A list and description of deliverables, such as draft and final reports, and

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associated timeframes; and viii. A demonstration that it is clearly feasible to complete the study within the

proposed period of performance and achieve your objectives. ix. Budget. Applicants must provide detailed sources and uses of the budget with

line items that show the amount of the HUD funding and the contributions of any partners (cost sharing component) and/or the submitting institution. HUD strongly encourages using form HUD–424CBW to detail your budget request. The form is available at: https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/304/hud-form-424cbw/. Proposals for research partnerships that have already been submitted to HUD as part of a grant competition are not eligible for a non-competitive cooperative agreement.

x. Certification by Offeror: To ensure that an offeror’s contacts with agency employees do not exceed the limits of acceptable preliminary contacts and therefore result in an unfair advantage, its unsolicited proposal must include the following:

Certification by Offeror This is to certify, to the best of my knowledge and belief, that: (a) this proposal has not been prepared under Federal Government supervision. (b) The methods and approaches stated in the proposal were developed by this offeror. (c) Any contact with employees of the Department of Housing and Urban Development has been within the limits of section 103 of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Reform Act of 1989 (42 U.S.C. 3537a) and its implementing regulations at 24 CFR part 4, subpart B. (d) No prior commitments were received from departmental employees regarding acceptance of this proposal.

Date: Organization: Name: Title:

(A responsible official of the proposing organization or a person authorized to contractually obligate the organization shall sign this certification).

xi. Format and Form. Your abstract, resumes, research proposal description, and any other attachments to your application with page limits must follow the following formats:

a. 8-1/2 x 11-inch pages, with a minimum margin width of 1 inch on all sides, with limits of 1 page for the abstract, 3 pages for each resume, 25 pages for the research proposal description, and with at least the narrative pages numbered. b. Minimum 12-point Times New Roman font single (or larger) line spacing.

C. System for Award Management (SAM) and Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number.

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1. SAM Registration Requirement

Applicants must be registered with before submitting their application. In addition, applicants must maintain an active SAM registration with current information while they have an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by HUD.

2. DUNS Number Requirement.

Applicants must provide a valid DUNS number, registered and active at SAM, in the application. DUNS numbers may be obtained for free from https://products.dandb.com/.

D. Application Submission Dates and Times. Proposals may be submitted at any time and will be evaluated as they are received. Available funds will be awarded as proposals are received, evaluated, and approved, until funds are exhausted. Authoritative Version of HUD Notice. The version of this solicitation as posted on Grants.gov is the official document that HUD uses to solicit applications.

E. Funding Restrictions. Protection of Human Research Subjects. HUD requires successful applicants to comply with requirements of the federal Common Rule for protecting human research subjects (24 CFR part 60) when applicable. Compliance may require grantees to seek review and approval of research plans by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) that is registered with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Human Research Protections (see https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/ and links from there). For research requiring an IRB review, work plans shall identify the IRB that the awardee will use and factor in the necessary cost and time involved in that review. HUD will require awardees to provide appropriate written assurances and certifications of compliance before human subject research begins. Privacy. Submission of any information to databases (whether website, computer, paper, or other format) of personal identifiable information is subject to the protections of the Privacy Act of 1974. You should also check to ensure you meet state and local privacy regulations. Indirect Cost Rate. Normal indirect cost rules apply. If you intend to charge indirect costs to your award, your application must clearly state the rate and distribution base you intend to use. If you have a Federally negotiated indirect cost rate, your application must also include a letter or other documentation from the cognizant agency showing the approved rate. Successful applicants whose rate changes after the application deadline must submit a new rate and documentation.

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Nongovernmental organizations and Indian tribal governments. If you have a Federally negotiated indirect cost rate, your application must clearly state the approved rate and distribution base and must include a letter or other documentation from the cognizant agency showing the approved rate. If you have never received a Federally negotiated indirect cost rate and elect to use the de minimis rate, your application must clearly state you intend to use the de minimis rate of 10 percent of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC). As described in 2 CFR 200.403, costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. Once an organization elects to use the de minimis rate, the organization must apply this methodology consistently for all Federal awards until the organization chooses to negotiate for a rate, which the organization may apply to do at any time. Documentation of the decision to use the de minimis rate must be retained on file for audit. State and local governments. If your department or agency unit has a Federally negotiated indirect cost rate, your application must include that rate, the applicable distribution base, and a letter or other documentation from the cognizant agency showing the negotiated rate. If your department or agency unit receives more than $35 million in Federal funding, you may not claim indirect costs until you receive a negotiated rate from your cognizant agency for indirect costs as provided in Appendix VII to 2 CFR part 200. If your department or agency unit receives no more than $35 million in Federal funding and your department or agency unit has prepared and maintains documentation supporting an indirect rate proposal in accordance with 2 CFR part 200, appendix VII, you may use the rate and distribution base specified in your indirect cost rate proposal. Alternatively, if your department or agency unit receives no more than $35 million in Federal funding and has never received a Federally negotiated indirect cost rate, you may elect to use the de minimis rate of 10 percent of MTDC. As described in 2 CFR 200.403, costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. Once elected, the de minimis rate must be applied consistently for all Federal awards until you choose to negotiate for a rate, which you may apply to do at any time. Documentation of the decision to use the de minimis rate must be retained on file for audit.

V. Application Review Information

A. Review Process and Criteria. Proposals that meet all the threshold and certification requirements will be eligible for review. Proposals meeting threshold review will be evaluated on the following:

1. How well the proposed project informs one of the research priorities described in the Federal Register/Grants.gov Notice;

2. How the proposed project would expand or deepen knowledge of a HUD policy or program;

3. Whether or not the research methodology described is appropriate for addressing the proposed research question;

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4. If the proposed project includes a realistic budget and time frame, including justification for how HUD resources will be used;

5. If HUD should fund the full amount of resources requested in the proposal; and 6. The experience and capacity of the research team to complete the proposed project

successfully.

Proposals will be reviewed by individuals who are knowledgeable in the field covered by the research proposal. As required by the statutory authority within the appropriations bill, HUD will report each award provided through a cooperative agreement in the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act Sub-Award Reporting System created under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006.

B. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates. Available funds will be awarded as proposals are received, evaluated, and approved, until funds are exhausted.

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices. Following the evaluation process, HUD will notify successful applicants of their selection for funding. After selection, the Grants Officer may negotiate specific terms of the funding agreement and budget with the selected applicants. If HUD and a selected applicant do not successfully conclude negotiations in a timely manner, or a selected applicant fails to provide requested information, the applicant will not be awarded. HUD may select another eligible applicant in accord with the notice selection requirements.

B. Administrative, National and Department Policy Requirements for HUD recipients. If you are selected for funding, General Administrative Requirements and Terms for HUD Financial Assistance apply to the award. Click here to read the detailed description of each applicable requirement. Environmental Requirements. Studies and administrative and management expenses are excluded from environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act and related environmental laws in accordance with 24 CFR 50.19(b)(1) and (3). However, research and demonstrations that involve physical activities such as repair, rehabilitation or construction are subject to environmental review under 24 CFR part 50. If a proposal proposes physical activities at one or more specific sites, HUD will perform an environmental review of the proposal prior to award. If a proposal proposes physical activities but the sites will not be selected until after award, HUD will perform an environmental review of each site as it is identified after award. In such cases, submission of a proposal constitutes the applicant’s assurance that the applicant will supply HUD with all available, relevant information necessary

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for HUD to perform for each property any environmental review required by 24 CFR part 50; will carry out mitigating measures required by HUD or select alternate property; and will not acquire, rehabilitate, convert, demolish, lease, repair or construct property, nor commit or expend HUD or local funds for these activities with respect to any proposed property, until HUD approval of the property is received. In such cases an environmental review term specifying these requirements will be added to the negotiated grant agreement.

VII. Agency Contacts

VII. Agency Contacts. HUD staff will be available to provide clarification on the content of this notice. Questions regarding specific program requirements for this notice should be directed to the point of contact listed below. Name: Ophelia Wilson, Grant Specialist, or Kinnard Wright, Grant Specialist 451 Seventh Street, SW, Room 8226 Washington, DC 20410 Phone: Ms. Wilson: 202–402–4390 Mr. Wright: 202-402-7495 Email: Ophelia.Wilson@hud.gov Kinnard.D.Wright@hud.gov Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Please note that HUD staff cannot assist applicants in preparing their applications.

VIII. Other Information

VIII. Other Information. 1. National Environmental Policy Act. A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) with respect to the environment has been made for this notice in accordance with HUD regulations at 24 CFR part 50, which implement section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)). The FONSI is available for inspection at HUD's Funds Available web page at http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal /HUD?src=/program_offices /administration /grants /fundsavail.